PART I :

Narrated by Dot...

Interpreted by Mom, cuz she knows words I don't, but boy did I get grammar lessons that day...

Set the scene: Jackson, MS. In a campground, in our 5th wheel. We have been in for 7 months...

So, Sunday morning, I'm awake, can't sleep. Mom and Dad are up(where's my treat?), making lots of noise in the kitchen and living room. Lots of noises under me too. Lots of noises I don't like. Like the big white truck starting, the whine of a jack motor, right under my cage... uh oh, we're gonna go bye-bye... Where's my treat? The lights are out in my bedroom, I can see my bye-bye cage on the bed. Where's my treat? So mom comes upstairs, I give her my sweetest look, and I get a pinenut... She tucks one in the sleeping pouch for Fiona. Ok, I want another treat!!! So after another pinenut, she pulls the sleeping pouch out, takes Fiona out, and sits her next to me. "Go potty" mom says, so Fiona goes potty, and sleepily crawls back in the sleeping pouch. Mom pushes the pouch toward me, and says"Dottie, it's time to go bye-bye, get in the pouch". No! I want mealies!!! Mom says," we are out of mealies, but we gotta go!" I WANT MEALIES!!!!

Oooooo.... Bright light!!!!! Really mom!?!? You had to do that?!?! I'm really mad at you!!! Fiona, scoot over, mom just turned on the lights!!!!

End of Dot's comentary....

Problem solved... Girls are put to bed, in their bye-bye cage (travel size Glide-arium) with 2 grapes and apple slices...

Hubby, don't forget to crank down the TV antenna, Let's hit the road!


The Terrible Journey to be continued...

That is super cute!!
More please!

Can't wait! How 'bout now? Now? Soo.... update now?

Oh my, poor Dot I see a Dear Crabby letter in the making, lol.

Just here waiting for Part II

PART II:

4 hours later...

Thump! What was that?! Our pouch swings hard inside bye bye cage... Mom is stopping real fast... why am I awake? Where's MY cage? Loud noises outside car, and when a big noise comes and goes, the car moves! Well, this might be a while, I'm gonna tuck my ears tighter, come here Fiona, I need to hug you tighter! Kinda scared, and kinda chilly...

4 hours even later...

Ugh, something smells funny! New noises!!! I'm warm, but Where's My cage? I want MY cage!!! I need my cage! I wanna go home! Wait... dad has big white truck with my home behind it. Why are we here???

So mom puts us in something... Smells familiar... I smell dinner... But lights are low, and they are watching TV... Go away, shut the light off on your way out... Ugh! I want my room!!!

So I hear them talking... 5th wheel bad bearings. It's Sunday in the middle of no where ... broken hub...criple in to next town off interstate... Found a truck stop and lucky to find hotel across the street... MY home is accross the street!?!?

Mom stressed, dad not sure what to do. Mom says were are fine, we are all warm, resting and we will figure it out in the morning... Lights out TV volume low... Soon I hear mom and dad sleeping...

Come on Fiona, lets eat! Wait, resting??? No, I'm wide awake! I want my cage and my home!!! I like my wire home! This kennel doesnt fit my wheel... But mom did put the treadmill in this pop up green cage...

So, I'll stay up, let mom and dad rest, and I'll think about what we should do tomorrow... Wait! Where's my treat!?!?

Mom:
"OK Dot, you slept through all the fun... Not!
We are on I-55 north of Memphis about 50 miles. I look in my rear view mirror, and see smoke rolling around 5th wheel... So, I hit the right blinker, and slow down real fast... Oops! Too fast! Car stops faster than a truck pulling a 9k pound 5th wheel... sped up on shoulder so hubby can have a safe distance to stop... Smoking wheel, well better than being on fire... We had to get off interstate, and cripple to next town 8 miles away... Ugh!!!

To be continued... I hope this has been entertaining.

Goodness Dot! This is terrible! I'm sorry for you and your family having gone through this.

The suspense Dot! Did you ever get that treat?

I am with Karen on this!

... Dot, you jinxed them!

Dot, just remind your mama: "That's what happens when you don't give me MY MEALIE!"

PART III:

The next morning, 6 am. The hotel room is dark, gliders in their sleeping pouch. Mom is wide awake contemplating their fate of yesturday, still trying to figure out what to do, pacing the floor while dad sleeps. Suddenly a zipper noise begins close to the glider sleeping pouch....

Dot: What the??? Leave us alone!!!(crabbing loud steadily) I hear mom shushing me, but I will be heard! No treat last night, my cage and home are gone... Not a good time Mom!!! Oh, and make that zipper thing go away!!!!!(as mom zips kennel back up) Then, all is quiet again...

Still Dot: Later, I wake up to my green cage moving. Maybe mom has treats? I wait patiently while she opens the zipper, reaches in and pulls our pouch out. She cupped our butts through the pouch while softly talking to us. Slowly, the top of our pouch opens, and there is mom's face...Where's my treat? Then her hand reaches in for me. Well I've played this game before... So i wiggle and wiggle down, "Here mom, take Fiona".

So mom pulls Fiona out scratches her on the head puts her down in the cage and says "go potty, we may have a long day today." And do you know what Fiona did? SHE WENT POTTY! Can you believe the nerve of that?!?

Humph! Not me! I want my treat!!!

So I know what's comming... We'll we will see about that... Mom looks into my pouch, looks me square in the eye and says "I'm sorry Dot, mommy forgot to pack the treats in your glider bag, you will have to do without till tonight". What?!? Are you kidding!?! And you expect... Yep, here comes her hand... Mom softly tells me it's my turn to go potty and get a drink, we're going bye bye... Her fingers softly reach under my belly, nope, not comming out. I hang on to my pouch as tight as I can. Oops I let go with 2 paws, reaching again, found a blankie or two... Oh dear, she's pulling me out!!! I don't want to ("Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.") go potty!!! I immediately hear the familiar "Ssst, Ssst, No!" I don't care... But I stop biting. Mom sits me down, and I just glare at her... I don't move... My house is gone, my cage is gone, no treats, and you expect me to cooperate? Huh! You got another thing comming lady!!!

So as I sit there, and mom explains about no treats to Fiona, she offers her the sleeping pouch. And like a trained soldier, Fiona crawls right back in...(Huh!!! Brown noser!!!) Now it's my turn... MY turn!!! Offer me the pouch, so I can refuse to be a good little soldier!!! Mom says she's sorry again, but holds back on offering me my sleeping pouch. She sings a lullaby to me, I just sit there, in my green cage waiting... I want my treat! A grape? You offer me a grape bitten in half??? Ok, I'll lick it once, twice... Ok, gimme that! I'm making my own way to the sleeping pouch!"

Mom closing chapter notes:

So we loaded up the car. We went to check on our "Roadship" (Since "Airship" was coined by someone else who shall remain nameless at this time) across the street. It looked as pitiful as it did last night: The 5th wheel with 3 tires on the ground, a ratchet strap holding the the 4th (axle only) one up so we could cripple to town at 10 mph or less... On an alternate highway off of Interstate. Anyway, everything as we left it, no vandals(Thank you God.).

We checked locally first for a complete hub set(That includes bearings, brake shoes,electronics for brakes, hub, and backing plate) No, not in Osceola, AR... Closest parts place was in Memphis... South Memphis, a stones throw from the Mississippi line... 71 miles one way...

Watch for the continuing story of "Dot's Terrible Journey"

Will Dot ever see her cage again?

Will mom ever give her another treat?

Will mealies ever be found?

Were any lessons learned here?

Stay tuned for the answers here!

Same Glider Central channel, but not the same Glider Central time!

"Stay tuned for more exciting news and adventure!!! Now we turn it over to our sponser..."

Mom 2 - Gliders 0

Not Glider Central time? I think you're going the wrong direction for Glider Eastern time.

Dot, I'm with you. Fiona has a very brown nose. Your Mama should properly bribe you to perform Though, personally, I'm sure grapes count

Dawn, fingers crossed for you!!

The suspense!!!!!

PART IV:

Boy Mom was right! It was a very long day! Dad was with us, and I decided to sleep...

So much later I'm getting warm,and thirsty. Where's my grape? Oh there it is...all but the skin gone... I wonder where mom put the apples... Fiona, where are the apples?
The car has been running, but we are sitting still. Wind's blowing outside the car
, I have to potty. And I'm thirsty. Gotta pee... So I climb out of my pouch, and while I take care of one need, I peek out... Humm car running, but no one is driving. Hum.... ok, here are the apples! I decide to take it back in the pouch, and share with my sister... Back to sleep...

So I know we eventually start moving again, not as warm as it was, and the next thing I know, my car door opens, the wind is cold!!!! I hear mom unbuckle our seat belt... Shut the door, it's cold!!!! Mom wrapps up our bye bye cage in a blanket, and i can still feel the cold wind! But that's OK, soon I smell familiar things... My RV!!! Ok, soon I think we will be in my cage!!!!! I can't wait!!! I'm thirsty again, gotta pee, and I want to hug my cage!!!!! But no. I hear the familiar noises of the side outs opening, the landing gear going down... Mom and dad talking about the cold... Dad accidently kicked the recliner we are sitting in, startles Fiona, and she starts crabbing. "Ooo! Where are we?"she says... We are almost home! I tell her... "Wonderful! 'yawn'... "

How can she sleep in a time like this, I will never understand... I want my cage! And a treat blast it!!!!

"Come here Dot, let's snuggle and wait...yawn..." SssShhhhhhht, leave me alone Fiona! SssShhhhht, quit it!!!! Well, OK, just a little snuggle... I'm sorry Fiona...

An hour later...

Mom takes us upstairs, deposits us sleeping pouch and all into my cage!!! Yay! Now I gotta climb up and peek... I whisper where's my treat? And here comes the familiar hand with a yogi! Fiona was like right under me, "whatcha got Dot?" Mom! Fiona is gonna steal my yogi!!! And just in time, mom produces... my yogi!!! Fiona, you gotta be faster than me! Ha! So, mom finally gets a yogi to Fiona. She then closes my cage door and walks away... Sometime later, dinner is served... Last one there is a rotten egg!!!! And Fiona just curls into a ball, and begins grooming herself for dinner. Not me!!! I'm always first!!!!! I get all the good stuff!!!

Hey Fiona,maybe later, when mom comes up, I'll share a little and let you have 1 treat to my two!!! Haha!!!!

Narration by mom: So today was a long day...a 3 hour trip back to Memphis to get parts, almost 2 hours fixing 5th wheel in 35 deg. weather, winds were 35mph. The girls stayed in the warm running car, windows cracked and heater on. Looking back I remember being worried about exhaust fumes... But the nose of the car was in the wind. I did worry about the girls, but somethings can't be helped when trying to survive. I helped hubby get everything back together, we had to upack things to get tools we needed, then pack it all back up. I did make coffee in a perculator on the stove. It was only 40 deg in camper. I felt the safest, warmest place (maybe too warm) for the girls to be was in the car. It all turned out well.

The next day, Dot was happy to go bye bye, it was hubby's 60th birthday, and we drove 7.5 hours on a cold, but windless day.

Three days after we were home, Dot was sick... but that's another story.

Told here:


http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/...aid#Post1414644

I'm sure part of it was stress, and part of it was gluttony, but it all ended well.

Thanks for tuning in, I hope it was somewhat educational and entertaining. It was for me... Sorry for the improper punctuation, spelling, etc., but this was a long story, and I wasn't sure I'd remember everything to the end...

This is the Ladymagyver Roadship signing off...

Dot "wait mom, aren't you gonna let me tell the story of getting sick? It was awful!!!"

Mom: "No Dot, not here on this thread".

Dot: what's a thread???

Mom: Go to sleep Dot, sweet dreams my little one...

Dawn, you can't blame Dot for gluttony, she had to wait too long for her treats for crying out loud, lol.

Dot, I'm glad all ended well and according to another thread (which is basically a "story") with a separate title about your illness, I read how awful it was for you and how it scared your mommy. I also read you are doing well now, so glad to hear.

I'm so glad that your sense of humor is still intact after all that trauma! You and Dot are a great story-telling team.

Thank you Stef! I still want to write a children's book someday from a sugar glider's perspective. I've found only 2 (which I have). I could have written this in the "non glider" related topic (might have been boring to a reader,and over looked), but there were lessons I learned where the girls were concerned. It was small parts of a long story, and since Dot was my problem child, I thought I would try to look at the happenings through her eyes... Fiona slept through most of it... Like the "Good soldier" she is... Lol!

Whithout a sense of humor, I would have melted into a pool of tears...

I had started one back when I had Lulu and Skadoosh, the title "the enchanted woods of Lulu and Skadoosh". It was a short story to introduce them, then follow up with other short stories, or maybe chapter book with different adventures. The adventures to be based off cage themes. I had already started "Rainbow Adventure" just before I got Ollie. I had to start over introduction story to include him, but didn't get too far. I was planning on "cage theme" stories: "secret garden", "pirate's cove", and then work on "Froggy Invasion", and something with butterflies perhaps. Lol, get all these disorganized thoughts, but can't get them laid out on paper just yet.

Another story I was starting to work on, is a zombie story (zombies were beginning to get really popular at the time). This was going to be a flip-sided view, from the zombies perspective. Started laying out some ground work on that one, mostly notes. It would just take up a lot of time for research, and I haven't followed through though.

Both of these stories, I had hoped to be a general audience type, with maybe the SG one a little younger, school age or up. I had children in my class at the time that had seen Lulu and Skadoosh (I brought them into work to show the children). I thought it would have been neat to have them see the story out there about them.

Sometimes I feel the same way, yet my furry-turd-balls make everything better... one way or another, anyways.

Keep your chin up, pet the fluffy ones, and keep plugging away at the book

Glad everything worked out in the end.